Over 160 asylum seekers held in Turkey's Aegean region

By Mustafa Gungor

IZMIR, Turkey (AA) – A total of 161 asylum seekers were held in Turkey’s Aegean province of Izmir before they crossed into Greece illegally, a local authority said on Tuesday.

Acting on a tip-off, the local gendarmerie teams carried out an operation in the Urla district to stop the group before their illegal border crossing, a written statement by the Izmir Governorate said.

Among them held from buses were 45 Pakistanis, 20 Bangladeshis, 93 Afghans, and 3 Syrians.

Four people were arrested for alleged human smuggling and the asylum seekers were sent to the local migration office after routine procedures.

Turkey has been a key transit point for asylum seekers and irregular migrants who want to cross into Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution.

Turkey, which already hosts 4 million refugees, more than any country in the world, is taking new security measures on its borders to prevent a fresh influx of migrants.